The Great Han Dynasty Volume 2: The mountain has trees, and the trees have branches. Eighty-two when to return

  Xuanping is located in Hedong County, famous for its plum production. In late spring and early summer, the plums are ripe. Every year after April, the plums gradually bend the branches of the orchard, and old women carrying plums for sale can be seen everywhere on the streets and alleys.

  "It's so sour." Zhang Yan tasted a plum and immediately her eyebrows and eyes scrunched up from the sourness.

  "Haha." Sun Wu clapped his hands and laughed, "Looks like Ah Yan is really afraid of sour things."

  "Hmm." Zhang Yan nodded, tossing the plum aside, "I have a sweet tooth and can't stand anything sour. It seems I'm not worthy of enjoying this pickled plum."

  "Don't worry, don't worry," Sun Wu smiled and shook his head. "A Yan, you also have things you don't know about. In our village, there's a traditional method of pickling plums that's been passed down. We put the yellow plums in a clean jar and let them pickle for half a month. When we take them out, they're even sweeter than malt sugar! How about we go pickle some plums tomorrow?"

  "Alright."

  In ancient times, there was a saying: "If you make a harmonious soup, use only salt and plum."

  Early summer morning, pick the slightly hard and astringent plums, use coarse salt to rub away the surface fluff and wax. Sun Wu wipes the sweat dripping from his forehead with his sleeve, "It's more fun to make pickled plums by myself."

  "Hmm." Zhang Yan learned from her and scrubbed the plum, then used the blade to crack it open.

  "Two ladies," said Yongniang, a servant of the Sun family, as she bent down to pick up all the plums and smiled, "pickling plums isn't something that can be done in a short time. You have to soak these plums in a large jar for a whole day and night, changing the water from time to time, so that the plums won't be astringent when they're pickled later. This is all tedious work, I don't dare trouble you two ladies with it."

  The two of them looked at each other and smiled. "Alright," Sun Wuji said as he stood up, "Please trouble you, Rongniang."

  "Don't move." Zhang Yan suddenly called out, stretching out her hand to wipe a stain from the collar of Sun Wu's clothes, and smiling, "Probably got it when you were brushing the plum blossoms earlier."

  "Yes." Sun Wu also lowered his head, frowning in annoyance. "And this part is still damp too. What a hassle, even if it's washed clean, it won't be crisp when worn."

  "You don't know about this, do you?" Zhang Yan snapped her fingers and said with a smile, "I have a way."

  She thought of the electric iron of later generations.

  "Rong Niang," she turned around and smiled, "does Xuanping have a famous blacksmith?"

  "Zhang's wife," Rong's wife said with difficulty, "the imperial court has strict control over ironware. The blacksmiths in Xuanping can only make rough farm tools, if you want to talk about good craftsmanship, it's only available in official households."

  Zhang Yan furrowed her brow, "You mean we still have to go find the Chang'an Craftsman Supervisor?"

  It's not that it can't be done, but to proclaim it all the way to Chang'an, the postal stations back and forth would take a month. Young people are impatient by nature, their interests come quickly and go quickly, after a month, they will no longer have interest.

  "That's not necessary," said Rongniang with a smile, "the craftsmanship of the vassal states is quite good."

  Even if it were anyone else, they wouldn't have the ability to order around the craftsmen of various vassal states. Looking at the young girl in front of her, Rongniang couldn't help but sigh with admiration. But this Zhang daughter was different - she was the granddaughter of the empress dowager and the niece of the emperor.

  "Hmm, that's it." Zhang Yan thought for a moment and said, "Xuanping is closest to the state of Qi. I'll go find the craftsman supervisor of the state of Qi."

  Two days later, the plums were ready. Sun Wu invited Zhang Yan to his home again to pickle the plums. As they ate sugar-coated plums, they put the plums into a clean jar and covered them with maltose.

  "Niangzi," Rongniang said with a frown, "you should also be more frugal."

  Sun Xingzuo was taken aback for a moment and said angrily, "Although my family is not rich, we can still afford to buy these plums."

  Rongniang sighed in her heart: It's not the plums that cost money, but the sugar is real. These two little girls who don't know the hardships of the world are sprinkling it so thickly, almost enough to sprinkle away a month's living expenses for a poor family like Xuanping.

  Although she said so, it was the first time she saw Sun Wu's good temper burst into anger, and she didn't dare to speak again.

  Then Zhang Yan and Sun Wu put a layer of plums, added a layer of maltose, ate away about half of the plums, marinated more than half, finally covered with a lid, and sealed it tightly with mud.

  "I remember when I was young, my mother used to make pickled plums," Sun Wu said with a smile, "in half a month they'll be ready to eat. In half a month, I'll invite you to have some pickled plums."

  According to Zhang Yan's drawings, the craftsmen of Qi made this hollow iron tool with a wooden handle and had it delivered from the relay station.

  "'Iron'?" Sun Wu repeated with a twisted mouth, "Can it really make clothes smooth and flat?"

  "I don't believe it, just look at you," Zhang Yan said.

  The red-hot charcoal was put into the iron's belly, and after a while, the iron showed a hint of redness. Zhang Yan sprinkled a few drops of water on her clothes, then ironed them with the iron, and where the iron passed, the clothes became smooth and flat again.

  "It's really amazing." Sun Wu woke up with a dizzy and confused mind.

  "Of course," Zhang Yan smiled and said, "but the iron that has been heated up is very hot and can't be touched by hand."

  Sun Wu pouted and smiled, "Do I look like such a fool?"

  "Right, Ayang happened to come today, that plum has been pickled for over ten days, it should be edible now. Let's go and open it up."

  "It's naturally good." Zhang Yan was also excited.

  They opened the jar with joy and took out the pickled plums.

  Zhang Yan's face changed slightly. "A Wu," she hesitated, looking at the plum in her hand, "are you sure this plum is edible?"

  The plum in the palm presents a strange black purple color, with fine fluff growing out.

  "But pickled plums are supposed to be made this way." Sun Rou refused to give in, mustered up her courage and took a small bite.

  "Pfft!" She spat it out in a flurry, hastily picking up the tea to rinse her mouth. "Sour." Even more sour than before it was pickled.

  "Perhaps it's because," Rongniang suppressed her laughter and forced a serious expression, "the two ladies were too hasty and didn't dry the plum thoroughly."

  Seeing the two gloomy faces, he quickly comforted them, "It's okay, anyway there are plenty of plums from Xuanping. We can just make another batch. This time, you have to listen to me."

  The second batch of plums has been pickled for seven days, and Zhang Yan still didn't get to eat the legendary sweet and crispy pickled plums this season.

  On this day, Zhang Ao called Zhang Yan into the study and said, "Yan'er, your mother sent a letter yesterday saying that she still can't return to Xuanping this month."

  Zhang Yan let out an "ah" of disappointment, although it was somewhat expected.

  "What a sigh," Zhang Ao stroked her forehead, lost in thought. "Your mother also said that the Empress Dowager's 50th birthday is approaching, and she mentioned you the other day, wanting us to return to Chang'an early to celebrate."

  "Ah," this time with a rising tone, "so Father, we're going back to Chang'an soon to see Mother?"

  "This," Zhang Ao said with a sigh, "is how it should be. It's just that recently the county has to report the rent and taxes, last year when we returned to Xuanping, the reporting had already passed, this year... Father hopes to see the report after it is submitted."

  "That," Zhang Yan said with a hint of disappointment, but having been apart from Lu Yuan for almost a year, she hadn't realized how much she missed him until now that they were about to meet again.

  "Father," she said impulsively, "may I return to Chang'an first?"

  "My mother's letter also said," she said, "my grandmother misses me and wants me to return earlier. I can also enter the palace to visit her. When the empress dowager's birthday is approaching, my grandmother will be busy and may not have time to see me."

  "Father, if you're worried about my safety." Zhang Yan smiled brightly, "I can bring more attendants with me, from Xuanping to Chang'an, the whole way is official road, there are relay stations and inns for rest. Nothing will happen."

  "A Yan," Zhang Ao suddenly called out with a serious expression.

  "Huh?"

  Zhang Jue stared at her for a while and said, "Why don't you look like an ordinary girl of your age?"

  "What did Father say?" Zhang Yan was startled, stuck out her tongue and laughed, "Did I kill someone or set a fire, or was I being naughty and troublesome to annoy you?"

  "None of that. Just," Zhang Ao sighed, "alright, your mother is also worried about you," he said with his eyes downcast, "so let's do it your way. Your brother Zhang Chu will escort you to Chang'an, be careful on the road and listen to him."

  "Thank you, Father." Zhang Yan was overjoyed and bowed. Having obtained his promise, her mood was light and cheerful, and she looked around with sparkling eyes, noticing a bamboo scroll tied with red tassels on her father's desk, and curiously asked, "Father, what is this?"

  "Oh," Zhang Ao replied nonchalantly, "it's just the latest issue of the Imperial Gazette."

  She untied the bamboo slips and saw the message on them, suddenly she couldn't smile anymore.

  "In the first year of May, Zhao Wang Ruyi died suddenly from illness, posthumous title was hidden, no children, and moved Huaiyang King You to become the king of Zhao."

  When Sun Wu visited the Xuanping Marquis's residence, a maid led her to the rear garden. From afar, she saw Zhang Yan kneeling by the lake, praying to something. The lake breeze blew her sleeves into flight, and for some reason, there was a very cold and clear feeling.

  "What's wrong with your wife?" she asked abruptly.

  "I don't know." The maid shook her head. "This morning, the young master and the mistress said something to each other. After the mistress came out of the study, she looked very upset."

  She walked closer and saw Zhang Yan throwing a volume of handwriting into the fire pit. In an instant, the flames engulfed it, and the delicate characters on it could still be vaguely seen.

  "I have a good friend," Zhang Yan tidied up her clothes, turned around and smiled, "I just heard that he died. So I wrote an elegy to pay my respects from afar."

  Sun Wu was speechless for a moment, then said after a long while, "Life and death are destined, this is also something you can't do anything about. Don't be too sad."

  "No. It's not like that." Zhang Yan said excitedly, "If I'm willing, maybe..."

  What maybe?

  Maybe nothing can be done after all.

  Apart from knowing the direction of some things, she actually has very limited actions and decisions.

  Changle Palace was the world of Empress Lü, no matter how much she was favored, she was just a guest there. All the honors she received, in the end, were given by Empress Lü. If she wanted to do something that didn't conform to Empress Lü's wishes in that place, not even half a person would listen to her.

  But how important she was in Lü Hou's heart, she didn't dare to gamble. The reason why she could always get Lü Hou's favor was not only because she had stood in front of Lü Hou and scolded Gao Di and Qi Fu Ren back then, but also because over the years, she had been doing things that conformed to Lü Hou's intentions.

  So, if one day she goes against Lv Hou's wishes, how will Lv Hou treat her then?

  Zhang Yan shivered with cold.

  She really doesn't dare gamble.

  Years of lonely and difficult life had tempered her into a will as hard as iron, such a Lu Hou, except for the pair of children she regarded as more important than anything else, even her own grandson could be slaughtered without batting an eye, let alone this granddaughter of hers?

  But Empress Lü's hatred for Qi Yi was too deep, due to the humiliation and hardship that Qi Yi had brought upon her over the years. Now that she had power, no one could stop her from taking revenge on her old enemy.

  The best revenge against a woman is to kill her son. Because no one knows better than Empress Lü that a son is the greatest reliance and hope for a woman in the harem.

  So, whether for Liu Ying or for herself, Empress Lü would never let Ruyi off.

  So even if she tried her best, it's uncertain whether she could save Ruyi.

  But no matter how sufficient the reason is, it cannot cover up the fact that she has done nothing in things that go her way.

  "Ah Wu," Zhang Yan cried, falling into Sun Wu's arms. "You don't know, he was such a handsome boy, his thoughts were kind and clever, it's a pity that at such a young age, he's gone."

  Sun Xing didn't know who she was talking about, so he could only take out his handkerchief to wipe away her tears. "If your friend is still alive in heaven, he wouldn't want to see you sad either."

  "Let's go back."

  "Uh-huh."

  As they spoke, a strong gust of wind blew over, lifting the ashes in the basin and blowing them high into the sky. Zhang Yan turned her head to look around, and for some reason, her eyes stung again, so she hastily held back her tears and turned away.

  "Next month I will be coming of age and would like to invite Ah Yan to attend the ceremony. I hope Ah Yan will surely grant me this favor."

  "Ah - congratulations to my sister. However, my paternal grandmother's birthday is approaching and I will be returning to Chang'an soon. But it can't be done."

  "......What bad luck." Sun Wu said disappointedly, "Can't you stay a few more days?"

  "They are already packing their luggage. They will set off in two or three days."

  "Alas," said the voice with a sigh, "won't even our pickled plums be tasted?"

  "There will be opportunities later. I'll come back to Xuanping again."

  I'll wait until I return to Xuanping again.

  Note: When I found out that there were iron irons during the Qin and Han dynasties, I was simply amazed.

  After all, this thing is very modern, it's hard to imagine that it existed back then.

  Today, while studying the I Ching, I wanted to give Comrade Liu Ying a character.

  In fact, I didn't find his courtesy name online. Maybe it's because he was already an emperor and no one would call him by his courtesy name anymore, so there was no need to give him one? But in any case, I still need to give him a courtesy name.

  So if there's anyone who knows Emperor Hui's calligraphy, please let me know.

  If not, then I'll just pick one I like from the I Ching.

  Take a deep breath, I'm finally going back to Chang'an! Let's add some pink tickets as travel expenses.

  Longing for each other in Chang'an.

  The road ahead is long and arduous, with a sorrowful spirit flying in vain. My dream soul cannot reach the difficult mountain pass.

  Longing for each other, heartbroken!